Al Levi teaches contractors how to run their businesses with less stress and more success, and he’s on a mission to help 30 contracting firms create and implement operating manuals in 2017. To see if your business qualifies for his upcoming 7-Power Contractor Build Your Operating Manuals Program, visit 7powercontractor.com/byom7PC today. Also, check out Al’s latest business adventure as part of Zoom Franchise Company at www.zoomdrain.com/franchise-opportunity — it’s a living example of the power of manuals and more in action.

More Ways To Prevent Employees From Stealing Your Calls

In
the first part of this blog (“Can Your Employees Be Stealing Your Calls?”) that ran on Feb. 20, I gave you the dire scenario of your own employees
siphoning off your calls for themselves.

Did
I hit a nerve? I hope so!

It’s
tough enough in this “somewhat better” business environment to get the phones
ringing but only if you compare it to a couple of years ago when many phones
went dead. Let’s agree that for most contractors, the phones are not ringing
off the hook just yet, so every call is precious.

So,
what else can you do about it?

Here
are five more helpful suggestions:

1.
Become an active sales coach by watching what the tech is producing with each
opportunity. If you have scorecards, it’s easier to spot trends
where techs are consistently bringing back minimal sales because they’re
cutting special deals with the customers to come back during their off hours.

2.
Watch the conversion ratio for your techs. This means measuring how
many calls they run where they get nothing more than the minimum service fee.

3.
Watch the conversion ratio for CSRs. How many calls come in that
your CSRs turn into calls? How are they dispersing those calls? If you have
more than one tech, you want to see if the potential big-ticket calls are magically
going to one or two techs yet these calls don’t seem to materialize into sales
made. That’s a red flag!

4.
Have GPS tracking for trucks. Then be disciplined enough to be spot
checking where your trucks are - when techs are supposed to be on duty and when
the truck is supposed to be sitting at a tech’s home. You’d think they’d be
smarter but they’re counting on your being too busy, too gutless or too lazy to
check

5.
Engage the power of the manuals that contain your policies and procedures.
You must always be recruiting, hiring, orienting and training so there is
always competition to own a place at your company. Techs can’t feel they’re
indispensible and you can’t be held hostage when it comes to firing those who
are serving their self-interests at your expense.

It’s
hard when you’ve been burned to trust again. But, you must. Just commit to
trusting and verifying.

Recent Comments

Al Levi teaches contractors how to run their businesses with less stress and more success, and he’s on a mission to help 30 contracting firms create and implement operating manuals in 2017. To see if your business qualifies for his upcoming 7-Power Contractor Build Your Operating Manuals Program, visit 7powercontractor.com/byom7PC today. Also, check out Al’s latest business adventure as part of Zoom Franchise Company at www.zoomdrain.com/franchise-opportunity — it’s a living example of the power of manuals and more in action.

Events

ON DEMAND This webinar will focus on the comparative performance of these HVAC system options using real world examples of metered data of the different systems and their comfort factor using occupants’ actual ratings.

ON DEMAND In this webinar, we will provide you with an expansive list of guidelines, standards, and codes that apply to the world pumps. Knowing where to find these key documents, what is in them, and how to use them, is critical for the correct application of pumps – and of writing specifications for them - in a wide variety of markets.

Products

Revised to include details on the latest technologies, Valve Handbook, Third Edition, discusses design, performance, selection, operation, and application. This updated resource features a new chapter on the green technology currently employed by the valve industry, as well as an overview of the major environmental global standards that process plants are expected to meet.

Check out Plumbing & Mechanical's September 2017 issue, featuring our cover story on PHCC CONNECT 2017. Other features include the benefits of heat pump water heaters, preventing cockroach infestations with drain maintenance, and much more.